One of the easiest and best guitar chords for beginner guitarists to master is E minor. Not only is it straightforward, but its beautiful sound will leave any beginner impressed!
To play an Em chord, all it takes is barring the first three strings with your fingers – just don’t touch either the 5th or 4th string!
This Em voicing stands out from others because of its D bass note, making it distinct among open E minor triads and making strumming easier than using all six strings for standard Em chords.
E Minor
The E minor chord is one of the easiest open position guitar chords to form, making it one of the five most frequently played ones. You can use either your second or third finger when playing this chord shape – although second fingers tend to work better for this chord structure.
As with any chord, there are numerous variations (voicings) of an Em chord and each sound differently. When starting out learning new chords, it is best to begin with basic open versions before gradually progressing towards more barred ones as you gain more experience with chord shapes. When learning an Em chord for example, be sure each string rings out clearly without muffled notes or buzzes before counting four times and strumming each string for four beats each time – this way your notes should remain distinct throughout! Once all your strings ring out clearly count four times each and strumming every string once more before counting four and strumming four beats per string respectively until your total.
E Major
The E major chord, or Em, is an essential and simple chord that can be played with only two fingers. It produces a melancholic sound often featured in songs about sadness or despair.
To master the shape of this chord, tap your foot steadily while counting (either mentally or aloud) “1, 2, 3, 4.” Strum the Em chord once per count until it comes easily and without needing to check your metronome each time.
Remember that a major key is always three half steps lower than its relative minor, such as G major being relative to E minor. This concept will become very helpful when learning chords by key, as we discuss triads and four note extended chords in this lesson.
G Major
G major is an upbeat chord with multiple applications. It makes an excellent starting point if you are new to barre chords as it requires minimal finger movement between frets.
One common variation on this chord is to play an Em over G, which combines the melancholic sound of E minor with the stability of a G bass note. This popular voicing can be heard in songs like Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and Plain White T’s’ “Hey There Delilah”.
To create this shape, place your middle finger on the first fret of the low E string, your ring finger on the third fret of A string and your pinky on third fret of high E string. Strum all six strings for four beats until your fingertips rest for two beats before strumming again.
B Major
Learn this key’s chords to create expressive music. Engage your finger strength and dexterity by practicing these chords at various positions on the fretboard; alternate playing them arpeggio style starting slowly before increasing speed as arpeggios. Remember that sharps (#) are one fret away from flats ().
Chord substitutions are an easy and quick way to transform the sound of your progressions. Swapping out minor for its major counterpart can give your song more energy; or use nondiatonic chords such as E minor over B for increased tension or emotion – as heard in Motown classic “(Love Is Like) Heat Wave”.
C Major
This chord progression employs notes from the C major scale. Chords are built upon scales, and have patterns which utilize every other note in it.
Addicing a third note to a chord converts it into a seventh chord, and that is what differentiates an E minor chord from its C major counterpart. Both chords use notes from the C major scale but E minor contains one extra G which doesn’t appear in its predecessor scale.
Learning the C Major scale with different finger positions will help build up dexterity for quickly moving fingers up and down the neck of the guitar. Spend some time each day practicing these scale patterns in different finger positions so as to increase finger dexterity.